South Central, Los Angeles – Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffery Norman issued a “call to action” after police apprehended seven teenagers who committed a series of offenses, including breaking into cars in the Third Ward, firing shots at a security guard, and engaging in a high-speed chase before they crashed.
In an open letter, he voiced apprehension about the rising number of youth arrests in our city, noting that some perpetrators, as young as 11, are exhibiting increasingly bold and dangerous behavior. In Tuesday's case, there were no casualties, but law enforcement confiscated multiple firearms from the perpetrators' vehicle from a group of six boys and a girl, with the youngest 13 and the oldest 16. Milwaukee has faced a string of violent shootings and reckless driving injuries this summer.
Even with overall crime rates falling in the city, Norman said he felt compelled to highlight this disturbing trend. He ended his letter with an impassioned plea: "We need you at the table. Our youth need you at the table. Be a part of the solution. What are you doing to help?"
One area in desperate need of help is reaching kids who are reoffending. In his letter, Norman notes that "consequences are not changing our youth's behavior."
Wisconsin's juvenile justice system repeats vicious cycle of violence
That's because the state's juvenile justice system is a mess. To be sure, many cities and states across the county are grappling with how to handle and rehabilitate young people who commit serious crimes . In Wisconsin, at-risk youths are placed in various facilities like jails, prisons, halfway houses, boot camps, and youth facilities depending on their age and the seriousness of their offenses.
However, both Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls face serious problems. In June, a guard, was killed by a 16-year-old at Lincoln Hills. The boy was charged as an adult with second-degree reckless homicide , felony murder, and two felony counts of battery by a prisoner after assaulting a female staff member and a male guard who fell to the floor, hit his head and died. Both facilities have been involved in lawsuits and abuse allegations , with the state paying over $25 million in court settlements and legal fees.
By law, Lincoln Hills should have closed by 2021. The state was supposed to build new smaller facilities around the state. That hasn't happened for a variety of reasons, with entirely predictable outcomes. If Norman or other leaders serious about finding solutions to youth violence are looking for ideas, they ought to check out a groundbreaking program in Los Angeles. In June I toured a facility and interviewed participants from a program that aims to transform young people once involved in criminal activities into youth ambassadors.
Chuco aims to rebuild lives in a repurposed detention facility
Chuco’s Justice Center , located in the South Central area of LA, offers 16-24-year-olds continuing education at its LA Free High School as well as an opportunity to rebuild their lives.
When you enter the facility, you can't help but notice its connection to social justice issues. The building used to function as the David V. Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center, which closed in 2013. Chuco relocated to the facility in 2019.
While the concrete walls and holding cells still exist in the building, they are no longer used. Today, every wall is adorned with art, images, and quotations of Black leaders from the Civil Rights era and contemporary influencers, inspirations such as:
- "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world" — Nelson Mandela, former South African President.
- "You have to go the way your blood beats. If you do not live the only life you have, you won't live some other life; you won't live any life at all" — James Baldwin, black author and civil rights activist.
- "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept" — Dr. Angela Davis, a black political activist.
Chuco is a very unusual space in that it’s part activist arm, part high school, part mentorship area, and part safe space to bring the community together for graduations, forums, as well as serve as a space to iron out any disputes.
“‘Courtrooms to the classroom’ is our paradigm,” said Emilio Zapién, Chuco’s media and communications director.
The organization was founded in 2003 by young adults impacted by the juvenile justice system who wanted to make positive changes. It was named after Jesse “Chuco” Becerra , a beloved youth organizer who was tragically killed in South Los Angeles in 2005 at the age of 24 while he was working to negotiate a truce between rival gangs. His mural is painted in the hallways.
Chuco offers rehabilitative opportunities for individuals aged 16 to 24 who have a history of involvement in the juvenile justice system and have frequently faced expulsion from traditional school environments. The center consists of two main initiatives: LA Free High School, a continuation school, and the Youth Justice Coalition, an organization committed to advocating for reforms within the juvenile justice system.
The high school program offers a two-year curriculum with standard high school courses and art, poetry, gardening, and music industry training. Additionally, they provide breakfast, lunch, and daycare services for students with children.
An agent of change instead of youth prison
At Chuco, no police officers are patrolling the hallways. Instead, adult teachers and community activists resolve all disputes and issues. This is because many of the youth have had negative interactions with the police in the past.
Running the facility as an agent of change rather than a youth prison is not only more cost-effective but also yields better results. This positive impact is evident in the communities, with reduced violence, lower homicide rates, and a proactive approach to resolving disputes before they escalate into deadly situations.
During my tour several youth expressed how Chuco saved their own lives and put them on the pathway to success.
Jacob Jackson, who currently serves as Chuco’s youth outreach coordinator, said he would not be where he is today if it were not for the program. Before joining Chuco, he had multiple encounters with the police and struggled in a traditional high school.
"They didn’t understand me or how I learned, and they didn’t care about the things I was dealing with," Jackson said.
After his second week at the school, he was able to connect with one of the adults at the center, and he has not looked back. Many of the teachers and employees understand the youth they serve because they have also experienced the same traumas. They also live in the same neighborhoods and see the same things.
Staff has experiences and connections to same traumas as students
Stacy Cook, school counselor and transformative justice coordinator, said the program offers second, third, and fourth chances because expelling students for breaking the rules doesn’t help. Their commitment to offering second chances is rooted in the fact that all staff members have personal connections to incarceration either through their own experiences or those of close family members.
Chuco also operates a legal clinic to assist young people with their sentences. The group has successfully expunged nearly 350 cases, including some individuals with multiple cases.
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The program places special emphasis on supporting young people by assisting them in establishing a robust support system with a counselor or mentor. They are dedicated to preventing young individuals from being neglected or overlooked. If a student misses a class, they will receive a phone call. If the call goes unanswered, the student may receive a visit from their mentor. These daily check-ins serve to steer the young people in the right direction.
While empathy is important, Cook stated helping youth understand their traumas and guide them to a place where they want to contribute to their communities instead of causing harm is the transformative action that has shaped the facility into what it is today.
This is the change we need to see in Milwaukee, and everywhere
Jackson said Chuco saw him as a person, and he was finally understood.
Prior to discovering Chuco's teachings, whenever he applied for jobs and visited different locations, he was often perceived and categorized as "one of them," a troublemaker. As soon as he became aware of the principles of social justice and the value of his own being, his self-worth underwent a transformation, and he observed how others began to perceive this change.
Jackson is one of Chuco’s 426 high school graduates. Without access to education outside the traditional high school setting, he may not have graduated.
"People's attitudes towards me have shifted because I have evolved as a person. I am no longer the same individual," he said. "I have changed, largely because Chuco helped me see qualities in myself that I hadn't recognized before."
This sounds like the change Norman says Milwaukee needs.
Reach James E. Causey at jcausey@jrn.com ; follow him on X @jecausey .
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Youth violence in Milwaukee is appalling. An LA justice center is a roadmap to solutions.
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